Carton



Aug. 13, 1940.

R. E. ARIAIL CARTON 2 shee ts -sh eei 2 Filed Sept. 23, 1958 a r H w Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES CARTON Ralph Edmund Aidan, Summit, 111.,

Corn Products Refining Company,

assignor to New York,

N. Y., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application September 23, 1938, Serial No. 231,302

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cartons made of cardboard or other similar material.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a carton formed with an opening line or series of perforations which weaken the cardboard so that it may be broken to open the package, in an arrangement, however, which prevents pulverulent material from sifting out through the perforations. I This non-sifting feature makes it unnecessary for the carton, if used for packaging powdered material, to be provided with a cover or wrapper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton perforated or weakened along a proposed line of opening in such manner that the opening of the package will involve a minimum of obliteration or disfigurement of printed matter on the face of the carton, that is, will involve a minimum of defacement or change in the appearance of the package after it has been opened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton having a tuck-in closure flap, of new and improved construction, which will enable the carton to be easily opened and which will serve to close the carton again with reasonablesecurity, preventing, for example, contamination of the partially used contents with dust, dirt or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton of the type indicated above which will be very strong, especially against thrust along its major dimension.

A further object of the invention is to provide cartons of the type indicated, the blanks for which can be cut out of sheets of cardboard without waste and with the use of a minimum amount of material consistent with strength, durability and tightness of the package.

A further object is to provide a carton of the type indicated which can be made, filled and sealed by the employment of machinery and procedures now commonly in use, with only minor changes in such machinery and procedures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton of the tuck-in flap type which may be opened in a very simple and easily understood manner, and for the opening of which the directions on the package can be brief and simple.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank cut, scored, for folding, and perforated, in order to produce a carton in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the blank partly folded and with the tuck-in flap glued to the adjacent panel.

Figure 3 is a plan view of two out and scored blanks, illustrating a modification of the invention intended to economize cardboard.

Figure lis' a view in perspective, with parts broken away, of the carton ready for filling.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the filled and sealed carton.

Figure 6 is a perspective view, on'enlarged scale, of the upper end of the carton after it has been opened, parts being broken away to show the position of the tuck-in flap with the carton re-closed; and

Figure? is a sectional view on line 1-1 of Figure 4. c

Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 4 to '7, inclusive:

The carton is made from a cardboard blank III which is cut and scored, for folding, in order to produce a six-sided box, the front, back, side, top and bottom panels of which are made up of the following elements: II is the front panel formed with a series of perforations l2 which extend inwardly from the uppercorners of the panel and for the rest of the way run parallel to the upper edge of-the panel. The back panel is designated l3, and the blank is scored along the lines l4l4 and l5-l5l5, and is cut at I6--l6-l6-l6-l6-.I6 to provide for side members l'll8 and I9-20, which make up side panels of double thickness; a bottom panel 2| having tabs 2223; and a top panel 24 having tabs 25 and 26, the tab 26 being narrower than the tab 25 for reasons which will appear. The top panel is formed, in the cutting and scoring operation, with a tuck-in tab 21, scored for folding along the line 28.

The terms top, bottom, front," and sides are used merely for convenience, in the description and in the claims, having reference to the position of the filled carton as shown in Figure 5. It will be understood that the terms are entirely relative, depending upon the printing, if any, on the carton or the intended position of the carton on the shelf. The tuck-in flap is shown as on the panelof smallest area, referred comes the top; Cardboard ordinarily has a grain, the fibres running generally in one direction across the board. This grain is indicated by the shade lines on Figures land 3, the blank front panel.

.when the folded blank is flat, as shown in Figure being preferably cut so that the grain will run lengthwise of the front, back and side panels, and transversely of the top panel and its tuckin flap, for reasons which will appear.

The blank, as shown in Figure is first folded as indicated in Figure 2, and the tuck-in flap 21 glued to the inside edge of the front panel II. The glue area is indicated in Figure 1 at 29, and is preferably about the width of the space between the perforations l2 and the upper edge of the front panel so that a considerable portion of the flap extends below the line of perforations and is not glued to the front panel. This portion of the flap is, however, closely pressed against the front panel, this pressure being increased by the fact that the fold at 28 runs across the grain of the paper. This arrangement eifectively prevents any sifting out of pulverulent material when the contents of the package consists of material of this sort.

The folded structure of Figure 2 then goes to the filling machine. It enters the machine,'top end first with the front and back panels vertical,

and is opened up to its box-like shape by a finger which engages the short top flap 2%. The side panel at the bottom is then formed by folding in the tabs 2226, and the side members i'il3, as shown in Figure 4, and gluing or otherwise securing these parts together which is done with a block in carton. The other side of the box is open for filling and the carton goes into the filling machine with this side up. When filled, the tabs 2325 and the side members 19-20 are folded.

down and glued together so as to close and seal the package; the closed and sealed package being shown in Figure 5.

To open the package, it is only necessary to exert sufficient pressure along the line of perforations 12, which can be done with the fingers, to break the front panel along this line, after which the top panel is raised, tearing the material along the scores Mal 65a between the top panel and the tabs 25-26. The material tears easily'at these places because the tear is lengthwise of the grain. A stiff, reinforced tuck-in flap is now provided consisting of the memberfll and the portion 30 of the front panel between the line of perforations I2 and the upper edge 39 of the front panel, as shown in Figure 6. This tab may be used to close the package in case the entire contents are not used at the first opening.

It will be understood that the gluing together of cardboard requires considerable pressure where the glued area is small inorder that the bond may be secure and permanent. It would not be practical to fill the firton through the top and then attempt to glue the tuck-in tab to the By accomplishing this operation 2, any .desired pressure may be exerted.

The carton, as described, is very strong as against end pressure, due to the two ply thickness of the side panels, so that it is not likely to be crushed when the cartons are packed one on top of the other. The double thickness of the walls also reinforces the carton as against pressure as between its front and back panels.

A carton which may not perhaps be quite as strong as the one shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 to 7, inclusive, but which will economize cardboard, is illustrated in Figure 3 which shows two blanks for forming cartons of this type. These blanks correspond to the blank shown in Figure 1 except that in each case the side member Ila-20a and the tabs 22a and 250 are made half width. As indicated in Figure 3 the blanks may be cut from the sheet without waste.

While the invention has been shown and describedin preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the intention is to cover by patent all equivalents and all modifications with-- in the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A six-sided carton made from a single blank ofcardboard or the like which when ready for filling comprises: a front panel having a weakened opening line. extending in the direction of the width of the panel; a top panel having a tuck-in flap glued to the inner face of the part of the. front panel between the weakened line and the upper edge of the panel and extending below said weakened line; a side panel consisting of overlapped and glued top and bottom tabs and side members to provide a double thickness for the major length of the panel and triple thickness at its opposite ends; and at the other side of the carton side members and top and bottom tabs adapted to be folded down and secured together to form a similarly reinforced panel when the carton has been filled. 4

2. A six-sided carton made from a single blank of cardboard or the like which when ready for filling comprises: a front panel having a weakened opening line; a top panel having a tuck-in flap glued to the part of the front panel between the weakened line and the upper edge of the panel and extending below said weakened line; a side panel consisting of overlapped and glued top and bottom tabs and side members; and at the other side of the carton, side members and top and bottom tabs adapted to be folded down and secured together when the carton has been filled; the carton being composed of grained cardboard with the grain of the cardboard running lengthwise of the front, back and side panels and at the junction of the top tabs with the top panel, but transversely of the top panel and its tuck-in flap, whereby the top tabs will tear along straight lines at their junction with the top panel when the carton is opened, and whereby the tension in the fibers of the tuck-in flap will hold it in firm contact with the inner face of the front panel below the said weakened opening line.

3. A six-sided carton made from a single blank of cardboard or the like which when ready for and secured together when the carton has been filled and the side members on each side of the.

carton being one of substantially the width of the carton and the other of half width for economy of cardboard and to form double thickness reinforcements extending lengthwise of the carton at two diagonally opposed corners thereof.

RALPH EDMUND ARIAIL. 

